been flying the switch element 13 for a little while now decided to give it a short review. QUALITY: workmanship on this kite is great, up there with top brands for sure, and the reason the kite is priced low its because you buy direct from switch,< witch i love> no distributors or dealers so you get the discounts. ON THE WATER: super easy to fly, easy relaunch, quick turning and great depower. lowend for me its fine some people would disagree, but this kite is not meant to pull like a truck if that's what you want get the NITROV2. highend had it in 25knts+ so for a 13m pretty good. for what the kite was designed for which is an all-round kite its a fantastic kite.. so if you have a team rider near you give it a shot.. just thought i share how i feel about the kite and how stoked iam about SWITCH and what they are doing thnx......

Most of the people who got a Switch kite in their hands all are surprised by the quality products used and the top notch finishing.
Then after the testflying, all are wondering why they should pay so much moneyvfor new and even for second hand kites looking at the Switch pricing.

Me too! I'm blown way by the quality and attention to the extra details, like high-flow valve, nice lines, and full backpack. I purchased a 12m Nitro II just before the snowkiting season started and I'm loving it. Extremely predictable, stable and fast kite. Great up wind and jumps super well! I ordered an 8m last week and it should be here on Monday. I love the no-hassle low fixed-pricing.....Free shipping, no tax, etc, etc. And the online forum and customer service people are so helpful. Can't say enough about my experience so far. Looking forward to getting out on the water!

rsrangel wrote:been flying the switch element 13 for a little while now decided to give it a short review. QUALITY: workmanship on this kite is great, up there with top brands for sure, and the reason the kite is priced low its because you buy direct from switch,< witch i love> no distributors or dealers so you get the discounts. ON THE WATER: super easy to fly, easy relaunch, quick turning and great depower. lowend for me its fine some people would disagree, but this kite is not meant to pull like a truck if that's what you want get the NITROV2. highend had it in 25knts+ so for a 13m pretty good. for what the kite was designed for which is an all-round kite its a fantastic kite.. so if you have a team rider near you give it a shot.. just thought i share how i feel about the kite and how stoked iam about SWITCH and what they are doing thnx......

Is this a higher aspect kite? Go up-wind well? Boost well? How's the hangtime? Is this not so good for waves?

no its lower aspect kite, but fly's forward in the window so it rips up wind, boost and hangtime is good, but not as good as the nitrov1 or v2, don't do wave ridding but according to a buddy of mine its great in the waves. just an good all round kite.

The Element is a 3 strut all-round kite, comparable with the Slingshot RPM or the Naish Park. The shape is a bit different though, e.g. there is a bit more curve in the leading edge which makes it easier to relaunch.
I have a 13m Element which I use for light wind wave-riding and flat water stuff. Turning speed is typical for a 13m and quite pivotal. Almost impossible to back-stall, so much so I have difficulty in working out the ideal trim when the wind is light.
It is really good for learning to ride unhooked because it is so forgiving. I do find though that I lose track of where the kite is sometimes as the bar pressure is quite light. There are no front or rear adjustment options to make it more wake style.

I have been using the Element 13 for about a year now. I would say this might be one of the best allround kites for people who want to ride in waves as well as do a bit of freeride and freestyle. Overall it is a very good all round kite. It is not going to boost you to the moon, but jumps quite well once you get used to it and adjust the bar setting so you can sheet out further so you can reallly send the kite hard. It has good low end and is ideal for practicising tricks in ligher to medium winds since it is not going to spank you if you mess it up. Great upwind, ultra stable, excellent relaunch, good all round kite. Bar pressure is medium, not heavy - More than say the RPM.

Additional Note: some people say Switch have cheap build quality, this is total BS and the people saying it probably have a vested interest in the Importer-Retial business model.

I've flown the 9m and would say it's a great kite, but never lose tension on the lines. My friend has the 9 element and every time he has crashed the kite after losing tension it rolls and tangles itself in the bridle. I would say the bridle is way too long. The last time it tore the kite in half. They definitely need to work on the bridle length on that one. Other than that it flies great.